Alpha and Omega 10: The Legend of the Peaceful Warrior
by KingHumphrey
Summary: After learning the truth about his parents, Humphrey and the group race back to Jasper where King had taken over the entire valley and holding it as his bargaining chip to get at Runt. War breaks out between the two packs until a new threat emerges and they form an alliance to take their new opponent down. But with war comes loss, and sometimes, sacrifices need to be made.
1. Chapter 1

_Chapter 1: A Tale is Told_

The story that everyone had been chasing for so long was finally about to be pieced together and told. Everyone gathered around Adam, Kenya, and Humphrey who now had enough strength to sit up.

"Okay," Kate said. "So, you remember what happened to your parents now?"

"Yeah, clear as day," Humphrey replied.

"So," Garth said. "Let's hear your story. The full story."

"Okay," Humphrey replied. "It started like any normal day. We were all sleeping comfortably in the family den. Kenya was sleeping next to me and Adam was over a little bit by Mom and Dad."

"I was woken up by Humphrey," Kenya said. "Because he was lonely and wanted to play. So, we went outside, but not too far away from the den as was a rule laid down by our parents."

"It wasn't long before our parents and I woke up to start the day," Adam said.

"They called us back to the den just when our grandparents were arriving to take Adam off for Alpha School while the rest of us went for an early morning walk," Kenya said. "We were about a mile out from the pack," Humphrey said. "When we came to a small clearing in the woods and decided to rest and then head back."

"We were just starting to go back to the pack," Kenya said. "When a pickup truck pulled up and two humans got out. They shot our parents with these weird darts," she said.

"Tranquilizer darts," Humphrey said.

"What?" Kenya asked.

"Those were tranquilizer darts. Trust me, I know."

"They quickly fell asleep on the ground, leaving us helpless," Kenya continued. "The humans then came for us. They grabbed me first and put me in a cage in the back of their truck. Humphrey was backed up against a tree and soon, he was in a cage right next to me. Our parents woke up, but it was too late, and the truck drove away."

"Mom and Dad came rushing back to the pack about half an hour after they had left," Adam said. "Humphrey and Kenya weren't with them and they looked really scared. They talked to grandma and grandpa and told them what happened."

"They decided to hold a pack meeting to try and figure out what to do. About an hour later, we heard the sound of four or five trucks approaching the pack borders. Grandpa, who was the leader of the pack, sent two scouts to see what was going on. We heard a gunshot. Only one came back."

"He told us what we all feared to hear. He said that him and the other alpha had snuck to the edge of the territory to where we heard the truck and hid in the bushes. They saw a half a dozen pickup trucks pull up and stop. Then, a large number of men got out carrying guns. They started turning back to come and warn us when one of the men must've spotted them through the trees. He fired his gun and killed one of the scouts."

"Not long after he finished telling us what happened, we heard the trucks coming in. Grandpa ordered the strongest alphas to stall the humans and buy time for the omegas and pups to escape, and the rest of the alphas would protect the wolves that were escaping. Despite being omegas though, Mom and Dad insisted upon helping to cover the evacuation."

"Grandpa stayed behind while Grandma led the rest of the pack to safety. We eventually got a safe distance away from the pack and found this sandstone cliff. We started digging out new dens for the pack. Days went by and none of the alphas we left behind came back, our parents included."

"Our grandfather was the leader, so our family was at the top of the pack. Both our parents were omegas and I was the only alpha out of the three of us, so after our grandfather, I was next to lead, but that time wasn't supposed to come for another 15 years or so. After the attack on the pack, everyone looked to me to lead them. They looked to an eight-year-old wolf pup, a young alpha pup that had absolutely no training to lead a broken and tattered pack out of great trouble."

"It took many weeks and many months of hard leading and difficult decision making, but eventually, I was able to bring the pack together to build these dens that you now see," Adam said, finishing up his part of the story.

"After the humans took us from our parents," Humphrey began again. "They drove for about ten minutes when suddenly, there was a huge bump when the truck hit what I can only assume to be a large rock and my cage fell out of the back. It rolled around the ground, throwing me around until it eventually hit a large tree, throwing me into the side and knocking me out. I was out cold for a few days at least. When I woke up, it was night and I was hungry, confused, and most of all hurt."

"When Humphrey's cage fell off the truck," Kenya said. "I was heartbroken. He was my older brother. He always looked out for me and now I couldn't help him."

"We drove for about ten minutes when the truck stopped in a small town. The men brought my cage into a large building with a bunch of other animals that I've never seen before. He opened the cage door and I ran out, thinking I was free, only to find myself in another cage."

"Days passed and they gave me this round, chunky food that took some getting used to. Humans came in and took some of the strange animals out of the cages and they never came back. Eventually, I was taken by a middle-aged man. He put this band around my neck and attached a rope to it. I had to go where he went, and I didn't like that at all. He took me to his den, and he yelled at me for going to the bathroom on the floor. I had no idea what he was saying, but I knew I wasn't supposed to do it after he grabbed me by the skin on my neck and shoved me into another cage. The first few years were very rough and even after I figured out what and what not to do, life was still horrible."

After Kenya told her story, Humphrey finished telling his. He told about living on his own in the forest for two months. He told of a friendly woodland creature he had met while in the woods that even stayed with him for a few weeks until it too, met a grisly fate. He told of the storm, meeting Kyle, and his year spent in Owen's pack. And he eventually told of his banishment and his discovery by Cando and Hutch. He told of the many peaceful years he spent living in Jasper and even told the story of him and Kate's adventure in Idaho for all who didn't know it. And he continued telling of all the adventures their rebellious pups had taken them on.

All the while, Marcel and Paddy had been sent back to Winston to tell him that everyone was fine. But they found that the pack was in chaos. When they returned, their faces said it all.

"Guys," Kate said. "What's wrong?"

They said nothing at first, and then Marcel said eight words they never wanted to hear.

"Jasper has been overrun by the Rouge Wolves."


	2. Chapter 2

_Chapter 2: Return to Jasper_

"What's up in Jasper?" Humphrey asked.

"Your entire pack has been forced into hiding by King and the Rouge Wolves," Marcel said. "They're after Runt."

"Well, we have to go help them," Kate said.

"I'm coming with you," Humphrey said, getting up, still with much effort. His bullet-wound was still bleeding, but it was dripping very slowly.

"Humphrey," Kate said. "You can't walk in your condition. You're still too weak to move."

"Kate," he said using a tone of voice Kate had never heard before. It was very serious and more like an alpha than an omega. "This is our home, and it's a direct threat to our son. I'm going. Pull me on the logboard if you have to."

"Okay."

Humphrey turned to Adam.

"Could you watch the pups while we go take care of this?"

"Not a chance," Adam said. "As the oldest sibling, it was my job to watch over you two, to keep you safe and I failed. I'm not letting you out of my sight again."

"Alright then, the pups can stay with the rest of the pack."

"We're all coming," Adam told Humphrey. "We're family. We stick together."

"Well, they can't come with us," Humphrey said. "It's way too dangerous."

"Dad, please," Claudette said. "We've been through so much worse. Remember the trappers?"

Humphrey looked at Claudette, scoffed a little, and a very serious tone came over him.

"You think trappers are bad?" he said. "I've seen things you can only imagine in your worst nightmares. Things too terrible to talk about. What I told you this morning wasn't the full story. I left a lot out. Because you cannot imagine, the horror it caused me."

Humphrey looked at Kate, and then at his pups. He paused and waited for these words to sink in and then added one last comment.

"Scared? You don't even know what it means to be scared."

Everyone was silent. This journey had brought about a new side to Humphrey. A side that had been hidden away for 2 decades. Behind the innocent, playful, slightly overzealous omega, was a wolf that had been through an incredibly traumatizing puphood.

He had lost his parents, his siblings, and his home, on the same day, all in a matter of minutes. He had been subjected to living alone in the woods for months, having to scrounge and scrape to survive. He faced every single day _alone_. He faced the elements _alone_, he faced hunger and injury and fear _alone_. He faced the other creatures of the forest_ alone_. He was the lonest of lone wolves.

And every time things seemed to be getting better, life would take it all away from him again. He had made friends in the woods that either resented him or had died gruesome deaths right before his eyes. And worst of all, when he finally settled down in Jasper, he forgot.

He forced himself to forget his entire past life because it was so painful to think about. He forced himself to forget his friends and his family, his real family. He forced himself to believe that he had always lived in Jasper, that he had known Kate his entire life. Only he knew what "scared" really meant.

"We'd better hurry," Marcel said. "It's pretty bad."

Humphrey laid down on the logboard and the group, now even bigger because of Adam and the rest of Humphrey's pack, quickly began to head back home to face the Rouge Wolves.

It took a few days or so, but the group eventually reached Owen's pack and what they found wasn't good.

Some of the Rouge Wolves had also attacked Owen's pack, too. Owen had been seriously injured and was resting in a hidden corner of the forest. With Owen incapacitated, Kyle was the acting leader of the pack now. As the group approached, they noticed that Kyle had been cornered by three fairly large wolves. Humphrey leaped off the logboard and attacked one of the three wolves. Kate and Adam followed and eventually forced them to retreat.

"Thanks," Kyle said. "I think I owe you an apology. I misjudged you, Humphrey."

"I'm sorry, too," Humphrey said. "I was so sad when your father banished me, but I was also upset. I was just beginning to come to terms with what had happened to me and now you were throwing me back out into the woods. I never stopped to think that you never really knew everything I went through. You had no idea. Neither did Owen. He was just doing what he thought was best at the time."

There was silence as the two looked at each other in a moment of shared forgiveness. Then Humphrey spoke up again.

"We could use your help," Humphrey said. "Our home's been overrun by an entire pack of those Rouge Wolves, and our numbers are too little to fight them off."

"Humphrey," Kyle said. "If you're asking me to join you in battle," he paused, and then smiled.

"Then you came to the right guy."

Humphrey smiled back as Kyle walked over to join the group. He called for his pack to help aid him and Humphrey, and then looked back at his friend.

"I'd fight beside you any day."


	3. Chapter 3

_Chapter 3: Omega Hostage_

Upon their return to Jasper, the group, now composed of Kyle's pack, hid just behind the tree-line, out of sight of King and his Rouge Wolves. Or so they thought.

As they were talking amongst themselves, trying to figure out what to do, a small group of Rouge Wolves came out from the forest behind them and attacked the group. In the chaos, a smaller group came out from behind the bushes, grabbed Humphrey, and took him as their hostage.

"Kate!" he shouted as he was being dragged away.

Kate turned around to see him being carried off and hurried to go after him but was stopped by the Rouges. Their numbers were too great and to go after Humphrey now would be suicide. As hard as it was to accept, they had no choice but to wait for King to make his next move. Needless to say, it probably wasn't going to be a good one.

The wolves dragged Humphrey through his home and as he looked around at it, all he saw was destruction and ruin. Most of the dens were completely destroyed and the pack was utterly deserted. The only wolves in the territory now, were the Rouges. He was brought up to the den he shared with Kate which King had now made his own. He was thrown down in front of the rouge leader in pain.

"We're so glad you were able to join us," King said. He then turned to his henchwolves. "Leave us."

They respectfully lowered their heads and then turned and walked out. Once they were gone, King leaned down to Humphrey, but stopped when he noticed his bloodied side. King stopped for a moment.

"Oh? What have we here?" he said as he pressed a paw on Humphrey's obviously painful bullet-wound.

Humphrey grimaced in pain as King harshly pressed down on his injury.

"I believe we can make this work," he said. "Always good to have a little bit of _leverage_-" King suddenly gave Humphrey's wound a hard jab, causing him excruciating pain."When things don't go the way I want them to."

He leaned in close to whisper into Humphrey's ear, continuing to press down on Humphrey's side.

"Your pack is mine now," King said, now beginning to put his weight on Humphrey's wound instead of just pressing on it. The pain was becoming unbearable and Humphrey screamed in pain.

"Your little runt took everything from me. Now I'm getting even."

King put even more of his weight on Humphrey's shoulder, but he knew he could do worse. And, of course, he did. King gradually put more and more weight on Humphrey's shoulder, that he eventually lifted his other paw off the cave floor, now using only Humphrey's injured shoulder to prop himself up off the ground.

This was the last straw for Humphrey and as King stood on his shoulder, putting all of his body weight on his wound, Humphrey let out a bloodcurdling scream that echoed throughout the valley.


	4. Chapter 4

_Chapter 4: Revenge of a King_

The rest of the group was hiding in the bushes just outside the pack borders when they heard Humphrey's terrible scream. The worst part was the fact that they couldn't do anything about it.

Back in the den, one of King's henchwolves entered the cave.

"Sir," he said.

King looked up with a furious look on his face.

"I thought I asked for complete privacy!"

"Sorry sir," the wolf said. "But there are several wolves approaching through the trees."

"Ngh!" King growled in frustration. The wolf quickly left the cave so as to avoid his master's fury.

King looked down at Humphrey, finally relieving the pressure on his wound. Humphrey gasped for breath as the excruciating pain finally stopped. King noticed his relief and smiled.

"Oh, don't worry, " he said. "I'm not done with you."

"Why are you doing this?" Humphrey asked him.

"It's like I said. I'm getting back at you and your pack for everything you've done. First, I'm going to destroy your home, and then I'm going to make you watch as I kill your family, one by one. And then you and your brat pup, Runt, will die."

King grabbed Humphrey by the back of his neck and harshly dragged him out of the den. Once they were outside, Humphrey saw the Rouge pack gathered around the den as King dragged him to the cliff where Garth first learned to howl. King pulled Humphrey to the edge and addressed Kate and the rest of the pack down in the valley below.

"Everyone!" he shouted into the valley.

The pack below looked up and were horrified to see their weak and injured friend precariously laying on the edge of the cliff.

"Oh no," Kate said.

"In case you haven't heard, I am King, the leader of the Rouge Wolves," King said. "Your omega friend here-" he once again put a paw on Humphrey's wound and pressed down, resulting in a heart-wrenching scream from the wounded warrior.

"Is my prisoner, and my bargaining chip. I request only one thing. I want your youngest pup, the one that's caused my pack so much trouble, otherwise-" he pressed deeper into Humphrey's wound, but this time, he pushed forward slightly, causing Humphrey to move towards the edge of the cliff.

"This one goes over the side."

"No!" Kate shouted.

"Then give me what I want, and he can go free," King said. "If you don't meet my demands exactly, then your friend's going to be sleeping on a bed of rocks."

King said one last thing and these last four words were the worst they had ever heard.

"You have one hour!"


	5. Chapter 5

_Chapter 5: Rescue and Regroup_

King's threatening words echoed throughout the valley as he grabbed Humphrey by the back of his neck and dragged him back inside the den. Outside, Kate and the others began debating what to do and how to come up with a plan to rescue Humphrey in so little time.

"What do we do?" Kate said. "I mean we can't just hand Runt over to them."

"No, of course not," Winston said.

"So, what's the plan?" Garth asked.

"I don't know," Kate said.

She was so worried about her husband. She knew King would keep his word, which was a surprise in and of itself that he even had enough honor to do so, but it was still something she didn't want.

"I'll figure it out, I just need more time."

But she knew that time was short and any plan they came up with would be rushed and not very good. But they had no choice. The clock was ticking and Humphrey's life along with it. Many long and arduous minutes passed and finally, a plan had slowly been formed to save Humphrey. But their hour was almost up.

"Okay, so we have a plan to rescue Humphrey, the trick is to pull it off before King loses patience," Kate said. "We have to stall him, somehow."

They thought and thought, and as crucial time ticked by, nothing came to mind. Then, when all hope seemed lost, an idea came to mind.

"I've got it!" Garth said. And as he told everyone about his plan, tension continued to build.

Meanwhile, King approached Humphrey, who was still laying down, in his own den.

"Time's up," he said.

Humphrey looked up at him with a dirty look.

"Oh, don't worry," King said. "Think of it this way: soon you'll be back in your own pack and your son will be mine. Or you'll be laying at the bottom of the cliff. It's really up to Kate."

Humphrey continued looking at King.

"Gosh, can't feel too good about that."

King's smirk disappeared. "Let's go."

With that, he grabbed Humphrey by the back of his neck again and dragged him out of the den and to the edge of the cliff. King called down into the valley where Kate and Garth were waiting with Runt.

"Time's up!"

He placed a paw on Humphrey, slightly pushing him towards the edge of the cliff.

"What's your choice?"

Kate and Garth looked at each other, unsure of whether they should really go through with this.

"Give me your answer," King said. "My patience is wearing thin."

Kate and Garth to look at each other. Kate, with a solemn look in her eyes, slowly nodded. She looked up at King, and then at Humphrey.

"We'll do it," she said, yielding to King's demands.

"Good," King said. "Send him up."

"Wait!" Garth said. "How do we know you won't give up Humphrey once you have Runt?"

"Would you rather have the alternative?" King said, pushing Humphrey closer towards the edge of the cliff. Humphrey was now only a few inches from falling to his death.

"How about a simultaneous exchange?" Kate suggested.

"No compromises," King shouted. "I'm done with this."

Kate and Garth looked at King with confusion.

"Do I look stupid to you?" he shouted down to them. "I know you're stalling. It's obviously a trap."

"Well," Humphrey said, playing along. "If it's obviously a trap, it's not a very good one."

"Hey!" Kate shouted up to him. "You're not even in on the "super-secret plan"."

"Quiet!" King shouted. "I've run out of patience!"

"Yeah, I was hoping you'd say that," Kate said. "Now!"

While Kate and Garth were stalling King and keeping him occupied, the rest of the pack was sneaking around to the back of the den and were waiting for Kate's signal to attack.

As she yelled out the order to attack, they rushed down, taking King and the Rouges by surprise. As King turned and saw the attacking group, his face became furrowed in frustration. His paw was still on Humphrey's side, and as he saw the attacking wolves, he turned his head back to Humphrey and smiled as he pushed him over the edge.

"NO!" Kate shouted.

Kyle saw King push Humphrey over and rushed to the cliffside just barely in time to grab Humphrey's tail and save him from the terrible fall into the valley below. Kyle pulled Humphrey back up onto the cliff.

"Well," Humphrey said. "Nice to know you care."

"Don't ruin this," Kyle replied.

Kyle helped Humphrey to escape into the trees on the outer edges while the rest of the pack covered them. This was a terrible blow to King, and they all knew he would come back harder than ever. And they had to be prepared for it.


	6. Chapter 6

_Chapter 6: The Invincible Ones_

As they retreated into the woods, King denied his forces permission to pursue, instead assuring them that they would back.

Meanwhile, in the woods Humphrey and the group were discussing how they were going to take back Jasper, if it could even be done. The hot summer breeze blew through the trees and the debate grew ever longer.

"We can't leave Jasper to the Rouges," Humphrey said. "We have to take it back."

"But that's giving King exactly what he wants," Kate pointed out.

"It doesn't matter," Humphrey replied. "This is our home, and no one takes it from us without paying the price." He then turned to the entire group standing before him.

"I'm not forcing you, any of you, to come with me. Those who are willing to stand with me and fight may do so if they wish. If any of you choose to back out, do it now."

The entirety of wolves that were present stepped forward, showing Humphrey that they would follow him.

Back in the pack, King was on the precipice, looking out into the tree line with a disturbed expression on his face. One of his henchwolves approached him.

"Sir?" he asked. "Is everything alright?"

"No," King snarled. "They're here."

And sure enough, just through the tree line, Humphrey emerged. His stride was elegant, pronounced, almost royal. He didn't look like an omega anymore. A new sense of leadership and authority had come over him. He now carried with him an aura of seriousness and of discipline. As he continued to gallantly walk into the enemy controlled territory, the rest of the pack could be seen following him in a triangular formation.

After Humphrey emerged from the woods, behind him, Adam and Kenya emerged with the same royal stride, and behind _them_ followed Kate and the others. The wolves seemed endless as wolf after wolf seemingly materialized from the forest. King's expression turned into one of frustration and his face became contorted with anger. This was not what he was expecting, nor was it what he wanted.

Finally, the entire pack could be seen, and as King looked down into the valley at their sheer size, he realized that he was no longer outnumbering them, but was now, for the first time since their long rivalry had begun, equally matched. His teeth clenched in frustration, he yelled the order to attack. War was now imminent.

The Rouge Wolves rushed down into the valley, leaving King standing atop Kate and Humphrey's den. The Rouges engaged Humphrey and his pack in an epic battle. Teeth and claws met as war raged. Humphrey led his pack through the chaos and bravely fought alongside his friends and family like a true warrior. But as the battle raged on, the Rouges were equally gallant and very well led. Only one thing could turn the tide in Humphrey's favor. King had to be taken down.


	7. Chapter 7

_Chapter 7: Battle for the Valley_

The battle raged on, wolf against wolf, with no end in sight. Kate and Humphrey were fighting together, making sure to never leave the other alone when Kate was suddenly pounced on by a Rouge Wolf. Humphrey rushed to her side and helped her to fight off the attacker. Kate had a minor cut on the side of her neck, but it wasn't too bad.

"Kate," Humphrey said to her, pausing to ward off another wolf. "I don't know how much longer we can go on."

"Well what do you propose we do?" Garth asked as he approached them.

"We need to take out their leader," Humphrey said, looking up at King who was commanding his pack from a safe distance.

"I'm going for it!" Humphrey shouted as he ran off towards their den.

"Humphrey, wait! We need to come up with a-" Kate began, but Humphrey was already gone. "Plan."

"He's gonna get himself killed," Garth said.

"What else is new?"

Humphrey fought his way through the onslaught of Rouges, forcing his way to his den. Upon reaching the top, he found King and one of his henchwolves standing on the precipice, unaware of his presence.

"Well, well," Humphrey said. King and his henchwolf suddenly turned around, surprised that Humphrey was standing behind him. "What do we have here?"

"You have friends, I have friends. The difference is…I don't care if mine live or die," King said as the rest of his forces attacked.

"Let me at that runt of his," the henchwolf said. "I'll make him suffer more than he could possibly imagine."

Upon hearing this, King forgot about Humphrey and suddenly turned on the wolf next to him.

"NO!" he yelled, swiftly backing the wolf up the edge of the precipice. "No one hurts Runt. NO ONE! Except me." King backed off and let the wolf step away from the precarious cliffside.

"Now go find those pups and bring them to me," King said, in a calmer tone of voice. He then turned to face Humphrey.

"This one's mine."

The henchwolf hurried off past Humphrey to obey his master's command as King and Humphrey began circling each other.

"Do you see?" King said. "Do you see what you've done."

"What I've done?" Humphrey said, laughing. "Ah, that's cute." Humphrey then began to exploit what the humans called, "The Art of War", although he did not know it.

"You've only done this to yourself," Humphrey said, hoping to enrage King into recklessly attacking.

To sell the deception, Humphrey made sure to limp on his bad leg, so as to lull King into a false sense of thinking that Humphrey was weak and didn't pose much threat.

"Your pack took everything from me. They made a fool out of me," King said.

"You don't really need a whole lot of help with that," Humphrey continued as the two slowly encircled each other with Humphrey "limping" the entire time. "Besides, you're arrogant, reckless, deranged, and entirely overconfident. It's a wonder you're still pack leader."

Humphrey's unintentional use of the "Art of War" had worked. He had provoked King, making him furious which caused him to not think clearly. King also had been deceived into believing that Humphrey was weak and that he could easily overpower him. King growled in anger, baring his teeth and in less than a second, he leaped at Humphrey who immediately stopped his pretend limping and quick as lightning, he leaped out of the way. King fell to the ground and when he failed to get up, Humphrey took this chance to subdue him.

As King began to stand up, he was immediately tackled by Humphrey, who ran into him at full force, knocking him into the wall at the back of the den. As Humphrey leaped at him, King kicked him back outside, then ran outside to continue the fight. Humphrey stood up and ran towards King. The two were now playing a game of "Chicken" with neither showing any sign of backing down. Just as they were about to meet, King jumped into the air and Humphrey, who had been expecting this, immediately skidded to a stop and ducked down to the ground, sending King flying over him.

Humphrey turned around and got on top of King, biting down on his neck. King was snapping at Humphrey, trying to bite his neck but Humphrey wouldn't let him. King kicked Humphrey in the stomach, knocking the wind out of him and causing him to let go of King's neck. He then kicked Humphrey in the stomach again with both legs, sending him hurtling back outside. Humphrey skidded to a halt just a few inches short of the cliffside.

It was then that the henchwolf returned with Stinky hanging from his mouth. The wolf dropped him on the ground in front of him and then held him down with one of his paws.

"Stinky!" Humphrey yelled, standing up.

"I managed to get this one," the wolf said. "The other two got away."

"One is all we need," King said, leaving Humphrey and walking over to join his henchwolf's side.

"Now," King said. "If you'll excuse me, I think you'll be interested in a trade."

Humphrey suddenly lifted his gaze from Stinky and looked at King.

"Oh, come on, really?" King said. "You couldn't see _this _coming?"

"Let him go," Humphrey said.

"Why would I do that? _Hello_,I'm deranged. You said it yourself."

As the stand-off continued atop the cliff, the entire battle immediately halted. Even King and Humphrey stopped to listen as the worst sound ever, echoed throughout the valley. It was a sound all wolves feared. The sound of trucks approaching Jasper.


	8. Chapter 8

_Chapter 8: The King's Rally_

It wasn't long after the sound of trucks started echoing throughout the valley that all hostilities were forgotten and every wolf, Rouge or not, evacuated. What was once a clamor of the sounds of battle was now quieter than a graveyard during a funeral.

After the humans had been driven off after Humphrey was shot, they returned to the town and explained the whole situation to the local police. The town eventually decided to track down these obviously dangerous wolves and get rid of them.

The entire population of the town set out, armed with guns and tracking dogs, a total force of around 600-750 people and a mix of around 20 dogs which consisted of bloodhounds, German Shepherds, and a few others. The town followed the original task force to where Humphrey had been shot and there, they found a large pool of blood, and with it, a bloody trail leading off into the woods. They followed it until it eventually led to a sandstone cliff with many large caves dug out in the sides.

The trail led into one of the larger caves and then turned around and started heading back into the forest. But this new trail wasn't as pronounced and obvious to the human eye. There was very little blood left and soon it stopped altogether. But the scent remained strong and the dogs' noses picked it up easily. They soon picked up the trail and over the course of many long hours, it eventually led them to Jasper, were battle was raging.

Back at Humphrey's den, the distraction that was a result of the approaching trucks allowed Stinky and Humphrey to slip away. It was only after the scent of armed men filled the air that King and the Rouge Wolves retreated too. Both packs fled into the trees on the far side of the valley where their differences of opinion were the last things on their minds. Well, maybe second-to-last seeing as how they were still separated into two groups, each discussing how to deal with the human invasion.

Humphrey mostly stayed out of the discussion because something else was on his mind. He knew that if both packs didn't put aside their differences, no one would come out of this alive. After around five minutes of silence from him, Humphrey finally decided to speak up.

"Look," he said, loud enough to gain the attention of a couple of Rouges as well as his pack. "I know we all might have differences of opinion, and I get it. Over the past couple of years, we've fought over many things. Some things we fought over made perfect sense, others, not so much. And, come on, most of what we fought over was just utterly pointless."

This resulted in a few laughs from both packs, but not many.

"But now it's time to put our differences aside and forget all of that. Right now, this very moment, we need to either stand together, or not at all. This is the moment where no matter what we accused each other of in the past, whether it was over stealing food, or something else that was completely stupid, we need to fight with one another instead of against each other. We need to stand up and fight if we are to survive this. I'm not making any of you come with me, but you have to decide now, in or out."

There was a moment of silence as Humphrey's words worked their way into the deepest, darkest parts of the Rouges. Then, Garth turned to Humphrey.

"I'm in," and with that, one by one, the entirety of the Jasper Pack agreed.

"Are you with us?" Humphrey asked King.

A look of regret began to form on King's face as he knew that he had no choice.

"Yes, but only this once, seeing as how we have a common enemy now. But this does not mean that we're really friends. Nor does it make up for what's happened in the past."

Humphrey nodded in acknowledgment as Kate walked over to him.

"I'm with you," she said.

Humphrey looked back at her.

"Till the end?"

"Till death do us part."

A smile slowly appeared on Humphrey's face.

"Alright!" he said, turning around to face the now united pack. "Here's the plan."


	9. Chapter 9

_Chapter 9: The Battle of Jasper Park_

The plan was discussed thoroughly, yet swiftly amongst the wolves because time was not on their side and they could hear the humans trying to silently move through the trees, growing ever closer.

"So," Humphrey said. "Do we all know the plan?"

Everyone nodded in agreement.

"Okay, good. Let's go!"

After these words, Humphrey began to lead a small part of the main pack back into the territory.

As they walked out into the open from behind Kate and Humphrey's den, the sunlight shone onto their faces. When they walked back into their home, they found that the humans had not yet made it through the forest. The sunlight streamed through the trees as Humphrey, along with Kate, Garth, and about 15 other alphas, marched through, eventually reaching the edge of the woods where they could hear the sound of barking dogs.

They continued into the woods without stopping and sure enough, found 20 dogs of different breeds lying in wait, baring their teeth and snarling viciously. Behind them stood the angry townspeople, all armed with guns.

The fight was now on. The dogs leaped at the small group, who quickly evaded them and went straight for the humans. The humans immediately raised their weapons to fire, but the line in front was instantly knocked down by Humphrey and the others. The humans fell into the line in back, who stumbled a bit before getting some shots off.

The wolves were unharmed and rushed back into the group of dogs with a flurry of teeth and claws. One of the German Shepherds pounced on Humphrey who turned and grabbed the dog on his back and threw it down to the forest floor. The humans rushed to help but were held back by the wolves that were holding their own quite well, as many a rifle was the victim of a vicious tug-of-war between a wolf and the human holding it.

Humphrey looked around and saw that, as expected, they were, for the moment, hopelessly outnumbered. He knew that they wouldn't be able to hold out much longer if they didn't retreat soon.

The wolves regrouped in a line, slowly backing up with the enemy in front of them and the pack to their rear. The dogs pounced again, this time with the wolves leaping up to meet them in the air. A few of the wolves were successful in pinning the dogs to ground, only to be either killed or wounded by the humans.

Not that the humans didn't have a few losses of their own as a couple of dogs were killed as well in the counterstrike. This enraged the humans as most of these dogs were their pets, causing them to lash out in anger, firing their weapons without even aiming. One bullet, however, struck Kate in the leg. Seeing her wounded, Humphrey charged at the human and clamped onto his leg, causing him to fall down and hit his head on a rock, instantly killing him. After, Humphrey immediately rejoined the group so as not be surrounded by the humans. He rushed to Kate and helped her up.

The sounds of the battle echoed through the trees as the sounds of guns and many a snarling creature. The battle lingered as Humphrey and the group held them back for as long as they could to give the rest of the pack time to execute the rest of the plan. After ten minutes or so the time had come to spring the trap. They began to lead them back towards the rest of the pack so that they could finish this, once and for all.

As they retreated through the woods and back towards the valley, Humphrey and the others did so in a way so as not to lose the enemy, but also didn't let them get too close. They just needed to lure them back to the pack and then the real battle would begin.

As they reentered the territory, the wolves stopped and turned around to face back into the woods as the humans and the remaining dogs emerged. Humphrey and the others stood with a proud, disciplined, almost militaristic stance, waiting for the trap to be sprung. When the humans appeared out of the woods, they got a huge surprise that significantly helped the wolves' odds of survival.

From the tops of the cliffs behind Humphrey, the rest of the pack appeared, some standing atop the cliffs and precipices, some appearing from behind boulders and large rocks.

The humans lowered their weapons for a moment, their eyes wide and their mouths even wider in astonishment as they realized what they were up against. Humphrey didn't make a move, didn't turn his head to look at his new army. Only a small smile across his face was visible.

Then he charged forwards and soon the entirety of the pack followed, running down the hill in an overwhelming swarm to engage the humans and thus, the battle began.

The humans, surprised at the incredible speed with which the wolves attacked, scrambled to raise their weapons again and the dogs rushed in to attack, but the remaining 18 were no match for the 200+ wolves and soon the humans were on their own.

The humans stumbled backwards in a second of fright as the wolves charged at them. They finally succeeded in mustering their courage and raised their rifles and fired off a few shots but not many hit their mark before the first few humans were knocked down by Humphrey's army. A massive, indistinguishable flurry of fur, teeth, and rifles ensued, but there was one human that was about to be incredibly conflicted throughout this battle.

The battle continued, and now that the dogs were gone, the fight was evenly matched. The wolves and the humans fought it out and although the humans had strength in numbers, their fear of the wolves threw their aim off significantly. But there were a few that were not broken by their fear and it was by the hands of these humans that many wolves fell.

Humphrey remained near Kenya's side so that he could protect her and there wasn't a single human that he let near her without a fight, save for one. Kyle also fought together with Humphrey, a friendship long forgotten, now renewed once more. His leg gave him incredible agility and he was able to rush into and away from danger much faster than the others.

The two were once again like brothers, never leaving the others side, keeping the other safe from harm. The incident from long ago was but a distant memory that didn't matter anymore. All that mattered right now was that they had to protect the pack at any and all costs, and to drive the humans out and make sure that they never returned. But to do that, drastic measures had to be taken. And when Humphrey looked into the bushes, he got the perfect idea.

Though both sides had taken significant losses, the battle still raged strong with neither side showing any sign of exhaustion. Kate and Kenya were fighting together, and Humphrey seemed to have disappeared.

"Where's Humphrey?" Kate asked. "We could really use him right now."

"I don't know," Kenya replied.

Then, as they continued to fight, Kenya looked up behind her and saw Humphrey at the top of a hill.

"Kate, look," she said.

Humphrey stood at the top of the hill, along with Garth, Adam, and Kyle. And soon they were all sliding down the hill towards the raging battle in the logboard that Humphrey had grabbed from behind the bushes.

"He's crazy," Kate said.

"He's Humphrey," Kenya replied.

"True."

The logboard continued to hurtle down the hill, avoiding groups of trees, towards a large group of humans and as they looked up, they scrambled to get out of the way.

The logboard crashed into the first couple of humans as Humphrey and the others leaped out in a full-frontal attack. The wolves landed on a couple other humans, knocking them down, and then the humans turned around and launched a counterattack. At first, they tried using the butts of their rifles the beat the wolves back, but this attempt was futile, as the wolves just grabbed them and pulled them out of their hands.

After the humans were disarmed, Humphrey began leading the other wolves back to the main pack in a retreat, fending off the attacking humans in the process. As they reentered the pack area, Humphrey returned to Kenya's side as one human in particular was approaching her in a peculiar way.

The human slowly approached Humphrey and Kenya, although Kenya was the only one he really noticed. As he got closer, he recognized her as his lost dog. The man slowly lowered his gun to the ground and began calling her over.

Humphrey was preoccupied at the moment, but when he heard the human calling to his sister, he turned around and when he saw the human approaching his younger sister, he became angry and afraid for her at the same time. Humphrey rushed towards them and leaped in between the human and his sister. The fur on his back stood up, bristled, his teeth bared. He was crouched in a hunting-like stance, ready to pounce, his legs spread wide apart.

The man jumped back in surprise, then slowly started to reach down for his gun that he had dropped on the ground. As he did so, he began talking to his former dog, trying to get her to come with him. Kenya didn't know exactly what he was saying, but she knew what he meant. He wanted her to leave Humphrey behind and return back to the town with him.

Kenya now stepped in front of Humphrey, now preventing her former owner from firing upon her brother. For many long minutes, Kenya didn't move. She just thought. And finally, she decided to stay with her true family, not some false one where she had no control over her own life. Slowly, she looked behind her at her brother, who had now ceased all his hostilities and was now looking back at her. Then she turned and looked up at her owner, and to his disappointment, she stepped backwards next to her brother, clearly choosing the wolf over him.

The man's face said it all. His heart was broken. But he managed to ignore it for the time being and raised his gun to fire on Humphrey. If his dog had no wolf to stay behind with, she would have to come back with him. But he had no clue how wrong he was.

As he raised his weapon to fire the killing blow, Kenya saw this and leaped at him, knocking him down. Her choice was clearly made there would be no going back. Humphrey turned to his sister and smiled.

"You did the right thing," he said.

"What, did you really think that after all of these years without you, I would just go back to my boring life as a house pet?" she asked. "Being separated from you was the worst thing that's ever happened to me and I will never let it happen again."

"Thanks," Humphrey said, and then paused. "Losing you was hard too, and I guess, even though I hardly remembered, deep down, I was still looking for you. And now that we're together, nothing is going to separate us ever again."

Kenya smiled back.

"Now let's finish this," Humphrey said.

The two siblings resumed the battle, now fighting with each other, protecting each other, and never letting the other out of their sight. The two had been separated for twenty years and the bond that was broken had now been repaired, stronger than ever and nothing could break again. And as human after human approached them, they remembered the short time they had happily lived together with their parents, but that time was now past and in order to protect their new family, they had to fight together to the end, relying on one another to push through.

Humphrey and Kenya, brother and sister of a shattered and broken pack, fought to protect all that they still knew and loved, to keep all that they had left of their home so that they all might have a brighter future. But this newly renewed bond between these two siblings was about to be permanently broken again, in the most tragic of ways.

The battle continued to draw out, and both sides were exhausted, as they had both been fighting non-stop for the past hour-and-a-half, but it looked as if the wolves had finally won when all the remaining humans suddenly turned around and retreated back into the forest. But not five minutes later, the wolves heard the sound of even more trucks, but they couldn't see them. They heard the sound of doors slamming but they didn't see any humans. Everyone was confused. They all looked at each other, not knowing what to say, or what to do.

Then, out of nowhere, a large group of humans suddenly appeared in front of them all, as if they had materialized out of thin air. They were all wearing the same shade of green, making them look just like the leaves and trees of the forest behind them. They were all carrying rifles on their backs and a pistol in a holster on their belts. Not a single wolf present had ever seen or even heard of such a human before.

Soon, the battle continued as the wolves began to fight against this new group of people that were incredibly hard to see. As the numerous wolves that remained rushed at them, the new people that had just arrived reached behind their backs and pulled out their rifles, which were already loaded and were waiting to be fired. When the first few shots were fired off, no one knew where they were coming from. The wolves tried their best to make out the humans against the forest background, but it was near to impossible to see anything but the grey outline of the rifles that were being continuously fired at them.

This resulted in the almost immediate carnage that followed when the battle resumed. Within the first minute, a quarter of the wolves had fallen, never to get up again. As the humans fired off shot after shot, there seemed like there was nothing the wolves could do to stop it. All they could go off of was the dim outline of the humans and the shape of their rifles, which were, in-and-of themselves, partially camouflaged. These humans were unlike anything the wolves had ever seen. They were properly trained, their aim was accurate, and most important of all, they had come prepared.

But the wolves stayed hopeful and many fought to the end, selflessly defending the only home that most of them had ever known. But this new reinforcement of humans was much more equipped than the wolves and they were exceptional fighters. They always hit their mark and most wolves never even had a chance to get anywhere near them.

Drastic measures would need to be taken on the wolves' part to bring these humans down, and the perfect chance to do so was about to present itself very soon. But to be successful, great sacrifices would need to be made along with immense courage that had yet to be mustered. And the only way this courage could be mustered, was if another wolf's life was endangered, the life of a wolf that meant everything to Humphrey. And when this life was threatened, he would be ready to jump in and defend it, no matter the cost.


	10. Chapter 10

_Chapter 10: Through Fire and Ashes_

Humphrey was beginning to get tired. This battle had done more than wear him out, but it was continuing to go on, nevertheless. As he looked at the valley around him, all he saw was death and carnage. The wolves were slowly being picked off by the human reinforcements that were no easier to see now than they were before. He knew that something had to be done about this. He just didn't know what.

As he was looking around, his eyes fixed on Kenya, his sister, one of the only kin he had left. She was fighting gallantly and bravely, successfully holding her own against the humans with relative ease.

Then he spotted one human in particular that held his gaze. This one was easier to see, probably because his covering that made him appear invisible had been ripped and torn away in various spots around his body. He appeared to be the leader of the humans, their "alpha", Humphrey figured. He commanded his pack with a stern and demanding voice, with the humans never questioning him. He held his rifle up, looking down the sight, and when Humphrey followed the General's aim, he was horrified as he saw that he was aiming at Kenya. Humphrey rushed to intercept him and save his sister.

As the General was about to fire, a large wolf suddenly leaped up from the side and grabbed his gun in its mouth. The momentum swung the two around, pulling the rifle out of his hand and causing the General to fall to the ground, laying on his stomach. Humphrey recovered and leaped at the downed human who just as swiftly raised an arm and knocked him over his back. Humphrey flew over the General and landed hard on the ground. He felt no pain at the moment, only adrenaline as he stood up to face his enemy. And then the battle began.

As Humphrey recovered, the two faced each other, one encircling the other, never taking their eyes off their opponent. Both Humphrey and the General were dead focused on each other, not caring about what was happening around them, not caring about the fact that the battle had stopped entirely as all eyes, both human and wolf were now watching them, forgetting all about what had been going on just moments before.

The two continued to circle each other in a classic stand-off. All was quiet in the valley, and not a sound was heard throughout the entire territory as the tension built. Time ticked by slowly as everyone waited for the battle to get underway, waiting for the inevitable showdown that was about to ensue. The wind hardly blew through the trees, making little to no noise as it rustled the leaves in the smallest of ways. The sun, high in the sky, but just beginning to set as evening began to take hold. And a cloudless sky, casting no shadows, allowing for a clear view of the fight that would end it all.

The General suddenly turned and ran for his rifle, which was still laying on the ground, and Humphrey swiftly pursued, quickly catching up to him. As Humphrey neared him, he reached out and clamped his jaws down on the General's ankle, causing him to fall down, just short of the gun. Humphrey leaped over him and grabbed the rifle, tossing it into the bushes.

The General stood up and immediately pulled out his pistol that he had on his belt, pointing it at Humphrey. Humphrey rushed towards him, much too fast for the General to aim and leaped onto his arm, biting down and drawing blood. The General's grip on the gun loosed and it fell out of his hand. The General swung his arm around and eventually, Humphrey was thrown off, but not without tearing a large piece of the sleeve off of the arm.

The General turned to face Humphrey and as he did so, he tore off the rest of the sleeve on his arm and tossed it to the ground. The two rushed at each other and just as they were about to meet, Humphrey skidded in between the General's legs. As the General tried to stop, Humphrey swiftly skidded around in a full 180, and then rushed back at him. The General, however heard him approaching and ducked down, sending Humphrey flying over his back and crashing to the ground.

Humphrey rolled on the ground but used the momentum to stand up again. As soon as he was upright, Humphrey rushed at the General again, and the General did the same. When the two were around 10 feet apart, Humphrey leaped into the air and the General stuck his arm out to block Humphrey.

But when they met, it wasn't the way the General expected. As Humphrey flew through the air, he met the General's arm and when he did, he grabbed it with his mouth and the force of the impact caused the General to fall onto his back with Humphrey still clamped onto his arm. The General reached over with his other arm, grabbed Humphrey by the back of his neck and in one simple motion, tore him off of his arm, resulting in extreme pain, but he ignored it at the moment.

The blood oozed from the General's arm, but being the disciplined war veteran that he was, gave no care in the world, having seen what he had seen in his days as a soldier. This was nothing compared to what he had been through several years ago during the Gulf War, and he still had issues with it. All the bodies he had seen, and all the friends he had lost. He was a soldier that never came home from the war. But now was not the time to reminisce on the past. He had a job to do here, and he would do it to the fullest extent.

During his time in the military, the General became a very strong man and was even a professional bodybuilder for a time before he began his volunteer work. His work as a bodybuilder, however short it was, gave him an advantage over Humphrey since he could deliver a killer right-hook and could easily hold up the full-grown omega with only one arm.

Humphrey struggled to get free from the General's incredibly strong grip on his neck, but to absolutely no avail. And in one singular act, the General hurled Humphrey away, sending him crashing to the ground and knocking the breath out of the wolf.

There Humphrey lay, trying to catch his breath. And as he looked around, he saw all of the other wolves, Rouge or not, gathered around, united as one singular pack. And then his eyes fixed on one in particular. His sister, Kenya.

She was the one that he had done this for. The one he sacrificed for to protect. And she wasn't the only one. He had done this for everyone. Kate, Lily, Garth, Adam, his pups, everyone he ever knew and cared for. He had done this for them.

He thought of everything they all had been through, both good and bad, all that they had been fighting to protect today, and he knew that if the General won, if the General killed him, he knew that all of that would be destroyed. And he couldn't let that happen. And as he heard the General approaching, as he heard each step the General was taking, he knew only one thing. This ends now.

As the General took one more step, Humphrey suddenly turned and leaped upon him, high enough so that he was easily able to reach the top of the General's shoulder. He clamped down on the General, in between his neck and his shoulder. This caused Humphrey to swing up and over the General while still holding onto his shoulder. Soon, the overall momentum mixed with the force of gravity pulled Humphrey down to the ground and the General fell with him.

Humphrey was able to get up before the General, and with him still hunched over, Humphrey took this chance and leaped onto his back, biting the same spot on his shoulder. The General stood up with the wolf on his back and he reached around with his arms, trying to grab Humphrey, but he was in just the right spot, so he was entirely unreachable. The General slammed his back into a nearby tree, trying to get Humphrey off. Unfortunately for the General, Humphrey held on. The General then proceeded to turn and with his left hand, punched Humphrey in the nose, then reached over his shoulder with both arms, grabbed Humphrey, and flung him over his shoulder, and onto the ground. Humphrey and the General then, once again and for the last time, rushed at each other and when they were about to meet, Humphrey performed a classic stand-and-pivot and safely skidded around the General.

The General, having never seen a wolf do anything of this sort before, was caught completely off guard and tripped over himself. Humphrey turned and leaped at the General who rolled onto his back and caught Humphrey in his hands, holding the wolf safely above his head.

The General tossed Humphrey aside and got up off the ground. Humphrey struggled to stand up, greatly weakened by the harsh blow to his back and the bullet-wound that was still hurting his side. Humphrey looked over at Kate, sorrow in his eyes. They both knew that he was losing and wouldn't be able to hold out for much longer.

The General noticed the two and soon put two-and-two together, coming to the conclusion that these two were mates. He smiled as he turned to face Kate and pulled a knife out of a small sheath he had hidden on his waist. He tossed it into the air and caught it by the blade. Humphrey saw the General take out the knife and began rushing over to Kate in a terrified panic.

Kate turned and saw Humphrey running towards her. Time seemed to slow, as he desperately rushed to save her. The General raised his arm and threw the knife, sending it flipping, end over end, towards Kate. When Humphrey reached Kate, he knocked her out of the way and felt a stabbing pain in his left side. He came to skidding halt and fell to the ground on his stomach, then rolled onto his side. When the dust cleared, everyone was able to see the knife sticking out of his side.

"Humphrey! No!" Kate yelled.

There was complete silence for a moment and then the wolves suddenly turned towards the humans again, growling and showing their teeth. In an instant, the entirety of what remained of the pack leapt at the remaining humans. Caught completely off guard by this sudden assault, the humans had little to no time to react and raise their weapons. The wolves leapt on them and the humans fired their rifles, killing a few, while simultaneously turning to retreat back into the woods where their trucks were waiting for them. The wolves pursued with unimaginable speed. All except three.

Kate, Adam, and Kenya all leapt at the General who was focused on trying to order his men to stay and fight. Kenya leapt onto his shoulder, Adam went for his legs, and Kate jumped on him, knocking him to the ground.

Back in the forest, the chase continued. The humans were shooting over their shoulders as they ran, but this resulted in poor accuracy as they had to continuously turn and watch where they were going so they wouldn't run into any trees. Given this topographical advantage, the wolves suffered little if no casualties whatsoever. While the humans were professionally trained to have a high level of endurance, it was nothing compared to what the wolves had, who could run for miles and miles on end without tiring.

Because of this, the humans were gradually beginning to tire and were slowing down as a result. The wolves were catching up and the humans began to run more than shoot. The rifles were still very much full of ammo, but at the moment, the humans gave no care in the world to completing their mission. They cared only about reaching the safety of their trucks that were still camouflaged in the depths of the forest.

The trucks drew nearer and nearer as the humans came closer to their escape. They rushed towards them and quickly opened the doors, hopped in, and immediately started them up, while others jumped in the backs and took up cover fire. The engines roared to life and the tires skidded as the trucks left the forest at full speed and left the wolves victorious, in a cloud of dust.

The General was still struggling in his fight against three enraged wolves. Two were leaping at him while the other was clamped onto his shoulder, still. Then, in a very painful, yet swift effort, he grabbed the one on his shoulder, tore it off, and threw it into the other two. The General's shoulder was oozing blood. He was tired, weakened, and overall sick of this fight. He decided that this was a waste of his time and took this chance to turn and run into the forest, but not before picking an item up from the ground as he escaped. Kenya, Adam, and Kate stood up and watched as the General retreated back to safety.

As the forest quieted down, Kate heard the familiar sound of wheezing that she had heard before when Humphrey had been shot. Only this time, it sounded much worse. The wheezing was more pronounced, and the breathing was almost nonexistent. It was around this time that the rest of the wolves began to return and when they did, they all gathered around their wounded comrade. Humphrey was struggling to breathe more than he had been when he had been shot.

"Humphrey!" Kate shouted and rushed to his side. "Oh my gosh," she said as she looked at the knife that was still stuck in his side.

Kate reached down and grasped the knife between her teeth. Humphrey shouted out in pain and Kate let go and looked at him. She reached back down, took hold of the knife again, and pulled it out in one swift motion. Humphrey cried out once more and Kate spit the bloodied knife out onto the ground. She laid down on the ground next to him as Adam and Kenya approached. They too, got down on the ground with their brother.

"Kate," he said weakly, but then passed out.

Humphrey was only out for a minute or two this time, much shorter than last time which had been a half hour at least. But in those two minutes, he relived his entire life again.

He saw his mother and father. He saw Kenya playing in the den with him. He saw the truck that took them away from his parents, and he saw his parents falling behind all over again. He saw the tree and the storm, and he saw Kyle as a young pup again rushing to help him. He saw himself getting banished. He saw himself entering Jasper for the first time. And then he got to meet Kate all over again.

He saw his many years of life in Jasper. And then he saw that fateful night at the Moonlight Howl when he and Kate were taken to Idaho. He saw them meeting Marcel and Paddy again. He saw the camper and the gas station. He saw the ravine where he saved Kate. He saw their chase with the bears, and he saw them riding down the mountain on the logboard. He saw the two of them in the train, finally howling together for the first time.

He saw the wedding and the stampede. He saw the day his pups were born, and he watched them grow. He saw their journey to find Runt when he was taken by King and the Rouge Wolves. He saw the games his pups had participated in. He saw their adventure at Sawtooth Cave when they met Daria. He saw their vacation when they had to return to Idaho to escape the hunters. He saw himself as he turned and rushed back at them to protect his family. He saw his fight with them, and he watched as Kate came running back through the forest to rescue him. He saw himself limping back to his family afterwards. He saw the blizzard and he saw him and Kate seeking refuge in the bear cave. He saw their escape and their second encounter with the bears. He saw his pups being chased by King again, he watched as him and Kate protected them, and he saw the battle with the royal bears against the Rouges.

And then he saw that one Father's Day, not even a month ago, when Runt asked such an innocent question that sparked this entire ordeal. He saw him and the group leaving to find his parents. He saw their short stay in Owen's pack, and he saw his reunion with Kenya. He relived the pain of his wounding by the humans and he saw his reunion with his old pack again.

He saw their return to Jasper and their plight with the Rouges. He saw himself rallying the two packs together against the humans and he saw the long and difficult battle that had followed. And finally, he saw his fight with the General, and he lost, and now here he lay, dying. Humphrey saw all of this, his entire life, in only a small bit of time.

Humphrey woke up and knowing that his time was running short, he didn't waste a moment in saying his good-byes.

"Kate," he said, weakly. "Kenya, Adam. I need to tell you something."

They all looked one another and knew that what Humphrey was about to say was going to be important. So, Kate turned to her sister.

"Lilly, go get the pups," she said. "They need to be here."

Lilly immediately turned and ran off back towards the rocks where they had left the pups during the battle.

"Kate," Humphrey said again.

"Shh," Kate hushed him. "Lilly's getting the pups. You can tell us then."

Lilly soon returned with the pups and upon seeing their dying father lying helplessly on the ground, they immediately rushed up to him.

"Dad?" Runt said.

"Runt," Humphrey said. "I don't have much time, so let me speak."

He looked at Kenya first. They had been separated at an early age and went many years without each other, but eventually, they were reunited. She was his little sister and as the older brother, it was his job to protect her, and he had certainly done that.

"Humphrey," she said, beginning to cry. "I don't want you to go. I just got you back, I can't lose you again."

"It's too late for that," he replied softly and calmly. "But before I go, I want you to know that you were the best sister I could ever hope for. There's something I want you to do for me. I want you to stay strong, and don't be afraid to turn and run when things get hard. Can you do that?"

"I'll try."

"Adam."

Adam looked at his dying brother.

"You were the strongest out of all of us," Humphrey said.

"No," Adam said, trying his best to keep his composure. "You were the strongest, Humphrey. Today you proved that. You stepped up when no one else was brave enough to do it themselves and you took the lead. Mom and Dad would be proud."

"I need you to do something for me too," Humphrey said. "Look after her. Look after them both."

"I will," he said.

Humphrey then turned to his pups. "Stinky, Claudette, Runt," he said.

The three of them slowly walked up to their father, who they would never see again after this day.

"Stinky, Claudette," he said. "I've watched you grow, and from the moment the two of you were born, I knew you both would be great leaders, and I know you will defend this pack from many dangers that are yet to come. Runt, I taught you everything I know. Now it's time for you to use it. Just try and stay away from trees."

Everyone smiled and laughed a little when he said this, but the smiles quickly faded as Humphrey let out a harsh cough followed by even more wheezing. His time was up, but he wasn't leaving until he said the most important of good-byes.

"Kate," he said.

"Humphrey." She stepped up and laid down next to him, tears beginning to roll down her face again.

"Ever since I met you for the first time," he began but was interrupted by a bout of coughing. "When I first laid eyes on you, I felt something. Something special, and I think you did, too. Since that day we've had so many adventures together."

Humphrey paused for a moment.

"And I wouldn't have had it any other way."

Kate suddenly looked up and in an instant, her eyes welled up with tears.

"Oh, Humphrey," she said, not being able to hold it back any longer. "I love you."

"I love you too, Kate," he said. "I had a great life, and I couldn't have wished for a better person to spend it with."

Humphrey used his dying breath to utter these final words, and when he did, he was finally at peace.

In the moments that followed Humphrey's passing, the valley was filled with absolute silence. There was no wind in the trees, no sound of birds. Just absolute silence. It seemed as if the entire valley had fallen silent in response to his death.

But the silence did not last long. Suddenly, two things happened. First, a loud noise was heard, coming from the forest and one of the wolves fell to the ground with blood oozing from his side. The second thing that happened was that a figure swiftly appeared, coming out of the forest in a menacing, fast walk. Soon his face was revealed in the sunlight. The General emerged from the forest, body bloodied, and carrying his pistol which he had picked up from the ground when he had first retreated.

Kate looked up, the sorrow in her eyes now replaced with pure, unchallenged rage. She began to rush the General, but Garth and Winston rushed in front to hold her back. She struggled to break through, to get at the General who had killed the only one she had truly loved in life. But she could not, and they slowly were able to force her back towards the cliffs while the General picked up Humphrey's limp form, slung it over his shoulder, and then retreated back into the woods with his trophy. As the General left, Kate collapsed into her father's shoulder and burst out in tears as Humphrey truly was now, gone forever.


	11. Chapter 11

_Chapter 11: A Legend is Born_

It was a calm day in Jasper Park. The sun was shining, and the morning was just beginning. Kate was sleeping in the den with Stinky, Claudette, and Runt. A cool morning breeze blew through the cave entrance and woke her. She lifted her head and turned to wish her husband, Humphrey, a good morning. But all she saw was an empty space next to her, and then she remembered what had happened the day before. The battle, the General. And Humphrey. She would give anything just to spend one more day with him. All she wanted was to have Humphrey back. But no amount of hoping or wishing would ever do that. Humphrey was gone, for good. And he was never coming back.

She got up and left the pups inside the den as she walked out onto the rock that jutted out from the entrance. Kate looked out across the valley as she remembered Humphrey's sacrifice that saved their home. He had to be honored, she thought. They had to do something to immortalize his memory, his story, to keep it alive through the generations. And she knew just what to do.

Kate turned and began to walk down the slope, into the valley so she could begin her plan to commemorate Humphrey's sacrifice. Today was a new day and it would be remembered forever.

She called together Marcel and Paddy, as well as Lily and Garth to help with her plan. They all gathered in the center of the valley while Kate ran off towards the trees. She returned with an object and Garth and Lily dug out a small slot to fit the object into the ground. Marcel and Paddy grabbed the object, lifted it off the ground and fitted it into the slot. And then the others filled in the hole. They all stayed in the center of the valley until mid-day when wolves began to gather around to see what was going on. Winston approached Kate.

"Kate," he said. "What's this?"

"A memorial," she replied. "Erected in Humphrey's honor so we will _never_ forget him."

"Kate," Winston said again. "You always had a heart of gold."

Kate smiled before addressing the crowd.

"Will everyone sit down for a moment?" she announced.

The talk died down and the crowd laid down on the ground surrounding the memorial.

"Thank you," Kate said. "Yesterday, this pack faced terrible chances at survival. But there was one who never gave up and made sure to preserve this pack."

Now, her face turned sorrowful again as she prepared for what she was about to say.

"But in doing so, he gave his life. Humphrey sacrificed himself so that our pups may have a future. And so, I'd like to raise this simple object as a lasting memory. And I'd also like to begin a tradition. A tradition that is to be repeated every year on the same day. Every year, on the day of Humphrey's sacrifice, we'll gather around this memorial and tell his story, as a lasting reminder to the old of what he did for us, and a tale to the young, who need to know what happened. We'll start today and tell the story to the pups that we left in hiding to protect them from the human onslaught."

And so, on that day, for the very first time, the entire pack, young and old, gathered around the logboard that Kate had raised in Humphrey's honor as she told his story, with the help of his friends and family, so that no detail was left out and the entire tale was complete.

"It was a simple story," she began. "About a pup that was lost, and a pack that was broken. He lived here among us. And times were good, until one day, when everything changed. He led us into battle, against an evil so terrible, it threatened to destroy us all. We fought for each other; we fought for those who could not; but I never imagined, it would end...like this."


	12. Epilogue

**EPILOGUE**

For many years following Humphrey's death, there was peace. But peace, no matter how long it is maintained, never lasts forever. In time, war once again broke out between packs. Not the Rouges as they had long since joined the Western Pack again, but with other packs throughout the region.

For many years, Kate led the battles, alongside Adam, Kenya, and Garth. She also taught her pups how to fight, for they would one day need to take her place. And one day they did.

When Kate became too old to fight, the responsibility was passed on to Stinky, Claudette, and Runt. Stinky and Claudette were gallant and fearless leaders, hardly ever shying away from danger, using their father's memory to prevail almost every time. And Runt was the scout. It was his job to climb up trees and do a thorough recon to see how large the enemy force was and their estimated time of arrival.

And as Kate grew old and weak, and death quickly approached, she remembered Humphrey. Every day she thought about him. Every day and every night, she longed for him.

Ever since his death, she woke up in the morning and went to sleep in the evening without him by her side, without feeling his soft fur against her own, without seeing his warm smile first thing in the morning and last thing at night, without hearing his calming voice, and without having him to protect her when she needed him, day after day, year after year.

And every year, on the exact day of Humphrey's death, which also happened to be the day of his birth and the start of his 30th year, the entire pack young and old, alpha and omega, gathered around the logboard to hear the story, whether it be for the first time for the young pups or the elder wolves, who had heard it many times more. No matter how many times the story was told, no matter how many generations it had been passed down, it always began the same way:

Even in the darkest of times, there is always hope. But sometimes fear clouds our vision, sometimes our strength gives out. And yet sometimes, when all seems lost, a light shines in the darkness, and we are reminded that even the smallest amount of courage, can turn the tides of war.


End file.
